As an artist it can be frustrating when you see that something you spent 8, 12, maybe even 20 hours on doesn’t get as many ‘likes’ as that pretty cup of coffee you posted. To this day an image that took me 10 minutes to make is still my most viral post of all time, and it can be frustrating to not get engagement that feels proportional with the effort put in.

But here’s the thing. Chasing ‘likes’ isn’t why you make the art. And if it is, you’ve got a problem. You should only chase engagement if you have a reason such as cultivating contacts for an email list, driving listeners to a podcast, or some other way that you have decided to monetize a growing audience. If you get your income other ways it is a complete VANITY metric. And more or less ‘likes’ on something you created gets doesn’t get to define its value.

You don’t need a thumbs up from others to do the work, document your process, and put in hours to be the best artist you can be. Show how you are growing by doing the work and be proud of the work you made. Because the 8, 12, and even 20 hours you put in just made you a better artist.

And maybe another artist not as experienced as you will see what it takes to be an artist. They will see all the work that goes into improving and the lifelong learning. Maybe reaching that one person made a real impact in their career and their life. You never know the impact you could make by sharing your work even if it doesn’t get as many ‘likes’ as that pretty cup of coffee.